Ron’s Comments (group member since Nov 24, 2010)

Ron’s comments from the Do Some Damage group.

Sabrina wrote: "I'm good with the majority... and Benoit, I'll make sure you get whatever book we read, K?"

Going to buy a copy for everyone? I do have DEAD HARVEST, CITY OF THE LOST and EMPIRE STATE. Read Holm's book already.

Have you guys thought about Last Call for the Living?

Swierczynski likes to push plausibility as far up and over as it can go. The real world slips and slides in his books. Really in a way it's a comic book/summer blockbuster effect. In Fun & Games he's right there pushing that boundary with a seemingly indestructible Charlie Hardie.

Do you think it's too far? With Hardie getting stabbed, burned, drugged, beaten, drowned and shot (in the head).

What makes him soldier on? Survive when others die? Do you think we will ever know?

Naturally, we've invested 200 pages to Charlie doing everything he could to keep her and himself safe. So it was a big WTF moment. But it served the book well, she didn't die in vain. She helped save the day.

Swierczynski has a fast forward moving, no clutter, streamline style. So yes, it reads fast because you are being pulled along, wanting to find out what happens to Charlie, Lane, The Mann.

I have the same problem as Tom, though, cutting out the time to read straight, even 4 hours is a tough proposition. And once you get going with one of Duane's books, you really want to.

I tried to go and find the poll for selection 2, but it appears not to exist anymore. I think THE MANY DEATHS OF THE FIREFLY BROTHERS was on that list? Maybe not. If so I'm not sure why I picked it, but I'm enjoying it.

I'll be reading THE WOLVES OF FAIRMONT PARK both because I've been wanting to and it is the next selection for the DSD Book Club.

Well hopefully with LATE RAIN we will see more books, or maybe after he retires from teaching. I enjoyed the book, so I'll definitely read more.

Kostoff definitely put a lot of mental dysfunction going on. Elizabeth assertion is on the mark, Paige is a sociopath. She has no care for her mother or grandfather.

Some aspects point to autism, obsession with numbers and issues with intimacy, while others such as physicality and athleticism kind of throw autism off the table. Because we don't know Croy's past anything suggested is speculation.

I do think whatever Croy's condition was it made for an interesting perspective.

Damn, I saw the post early this morning, thought I'd revisit it later, but I did not expect such a robust conversation.

Someone early on mentioned Corrine acted in hopes of stability. Not one thing in this story suggested any hopes of stability. Corrine was a runner, from start to finish. She looked behind her and didn't like what she saw.

Do I feel sympathetic because her mother left her and her grandparents were uncaring or that she discovered early on that she could manipulate men sexually?

No.

Even with hard beginnings a person has choices. Corrine chose the easy choices. She discovered she could manipulate and ply men with sex and sexuality. And so she did and it made her hate herself, self conscious and worried the past was going to crush down on her.

Buddy was a ticket and Stanley was the only thing standing in the way of cashing in. Once she did, Corrine would have ran, and never stopped running.

I'm about halfway through. Good stuff so far.

Cool

I double hate you.

His goal may be redemption, but Pike is doomed never to find solace. Wendy is already damaged from his actions and non-actions. Being an abusive husband, an absent father, a drug addict and killer. He drew up the blue print of their lives long ago.

Will Wendy's life wind up like her mother's? Only another story will tell.

Mexico gives Pike freedom from his crimes in Cincinnati, but it can't hide him from his past. Like Derrick, Pike will ultimately die the way he lived and Wendy will be alone to fend for herself.

Neither Pike or Derrick had any redemption at the end. Their motivations clouded by years of bad choices and violent lives. I understood them more towards the end but garnered no sympathy. The only difference between the two is Derrick thought he was a good man who did bad things and Pike knew he was a bad man who wanted to do something good.

My family on my Dad's side come from this part of KY and OH. While I've been there many times, I can't say has a uniqueness to it. The story at it's core could be told in other mid-sized cities, like Pittsburgh, Detroit or Kansas City. Cities that were once prosperous mill and factory towns and have rural outlying areas.

I think it's the characters that give you the feel of the landscape.

Nearly to the end, but I find in this case the epigraphs while an novel design element really don't bring anything to PIKE, especially given the short chapters.

Started reading it last night, about a quarter of a way through. Damn.